Common Types of Anxiety Disorders
as Observed in the Past and Present In the modern world, anxiety disorders are rampant throughout the human population.
Presently, people have been able to classify anxiety disorders as six major types (as listed below):
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)- This tends to be:
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the first diagnosis of an anxiety order
when excessive worry and fear interferes with daily routines and activities
may deter your ability to relax and affects you physically
excessive rituals that interfere with daily routines and disturb relationships with others
common repetitions of certain behaviors
may be irrational and unorthodox, but this may be uncontrollable
caused by your brain getting stuck on a certain urge or thought
will cause panic over little things and extraneous worry
has own subcategories of people with OCD:
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-Washers fear germs; common rituals include repeated hand-washing and cleaning -Checkers associate inanimate objects as dangerous and something to be fearful of (locked doors, closed garage) -Doubters and sinners are perfectionists that fear their transgressions may condemn them to punishment or harm -Counters and arrangers highly value symmetry and order and may be disturbed if certain things are arranged in a certain way, different color, or number, in a different way than they can accept -Hoarders an evolved species of the pack-rat, fear if they throw anything away, some type of tragedy will occur, even if the objects are useless, they will store them with trepidation
though one may display obsessive-compulsive traits, they may not have OCD as it is common to have mild obsessive-compulsive thoughts as long as they do not disturb the way they live
we all posess inherent instinct to run from fear and dangerous situations
panic attacks randomly trigger the emergency survival hormones and releases unneeded chemicals like adrenaline that may stimulate responses that you don't want to happen-like vomiting or defecation (disposing of waste-the purpose of these responses would to make you lighter so you can run faster in a hostile situation)
these survival instincts are good, but unnecessary in moderate, safe environments
may be caused from childhood influences, physical needs (hyperventilation, malnutrition), personality (if you're a worrisome person, you may be prone to these)
panic affects your behavior. thoughts, and body; these three work together to keep your panic attacks going
a physical reaction to a threat may be misinterpreted by your thoughts as a cause for more worry than necessary and extra focus on natural physical responses
your thoughts also can trigger panic attacks when you worry over a situation where you've had a previous attack-and this may lead to another one, though potentially, the environment may be safe (when people try to avoid the situations, they may not be able to adjust in the future and thus will always be fearful of common situations)
an irrational and unrealistic fear of common objects or situations that, in reality, possess little or no harm
the more common phobias include fear of flying, heights, small spaces, snakes, and spiders
many people tend to avoid the situations and objects that they fear; unfortunately, this tends to make their fear more intense, and the phobia, worse
Three Classifications of Phobias:
Specific or simple phobias- may seem common in childhood, but some extreme cases may follow into adulthood
These include fear of animals like insects, birds, mice, spiders, and snakes, natural environmental characteristics, such as heights, weather, and storms, other things like blood, injury, and injections, and other certain situations like flying in a plane or being in an enclosed space
people can also fear inevitable natural things like getting sick or having things like choking or throwing up
these kinds of phobias spring up from childhood and are more common with women but people with these phobias usually don't have any other psychiatric or psychological problems
Agoraphobia- is more common in women than men
60% of people who see psychiatrists for phobias have this
means the fear of open spaces- but usually referred to as a fear of being away from home/family
people can suffer panic attacks while away from home and thus make the symptoms worse
they can also become depressed and can use drugs, alcohol, and other unorthodox methods to help deal with their symptoms
Social Phobia- this is also called Social Anxiety Disorder and will be talked about more below.
patients may fear many social situations-public speaking, meeting new people, talking to strangers, doing common things in public, such as eating or drinking, and using public restrooms
often becomes prevalent at a young age, can be sparked into onset in teenage years-may be viewed as extreme shyness
intense fear, trembling, and sweating caused by extreme discomfort in everyday social situations
results in less productivity in the workplace and little or no social interactions with others, lack many strong social relationships
quite common, may have social anxiety but with different triggers for symptoms
as Observed in the Past and Present
In the modern world, anxiety disorders are rampant throughout the human population.
Presently, people have been able to classify anxiety disorders as six major types (as listed below):
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)- This tends to be:
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)-
-Washers fear germs; common rituals include repeated hand-washing and cleaning
-Checkers associate inanimate objects as dangerous and something to be fearful of (locked doors, closed garage)
-Doubters and sinners are perfectionists that fear their transgressions may condemn them to punishment or harm
-Counters and arrangers highly value symmetry and order and may be disturbed if certain things are arranged in a certain way, different color, or number, in a different way than they can accept
-Hoarders an evolved species of the pack-rat, fear if they throw anything away, some type of tragedy will occur, even if the objects are useless, they will store them with trepidation
Panic Disorder-
Phobia-
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder- (PTSD)
Social Anxiety Disorder-
Concerning the symptoms prevalent in these anxiety orders, you can check out the next page, Treatment Options for Anxiety Disorders.
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